Ask HN: I have excess compute, how can I contribute positively to the Internet? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: I have excess compute, how can I contribute positively to the Internet?

12 pointsQuantumNoodle12 comments

I have excess compute and bandwidth capacity and thought it would be a great opportunity to contribute positively to the Internet and the broader community. I would like to volunteer those resources towards services/projects/efforts that would be meaningful, or simply fun! (Note: I am NOT soliciting ideas for novel services - though if there is a gap to fill, happy to take a swing). (Another note: I do not have physical gear to give, just what is running at home and some of my time).

Admittedly, I've been in commercialized environments for so long that I am out of touch with what characterized the early web: a more open, community-driven, and less commercialized environment. I only recently heard of the "indie web" and sunk so much time just surfing(!) the web instead of being funneled towards links. That nostalgia motivated me to use my technical skills to do something fulfilling.

(I am purposefully omitting my compute and bandwidth capacity to avoid coloring your expectations or influencing your suggestions. I want to hear your ideas without any preconceived notions about what might be feasible or not. If this thread is ever found by someone with more or less idle compute than me, to be able to contribute as well)

https://wiki.archiveteam.org/index.php/ArchiveTeam_Warrior

Hosting an ArchiveBot pipeline server would be helpful too:

https://wiki.archiveteam.org/index.php/ArchiveBot

I would say folding@home is always good for medical advancement.

Running a TOR bridge, i2p router or re-seed server if your more interested in internet freedom for those in restricted countries.

As long as that compute isn't in OP's home:

> Should I run an exit relay from my home?

No. If law enforcement becomes interested in traffic from your exit relay, it's possible that officers will seize your computer. For that reason, it's best not to run your exit relay in your home or using your home Internet connection.

Instead, consider running your exit relay in a commercial facility that is supportive of Tor. Have a separate IP address for your exit relay, and don't route your own traffic through it.

Of course, you should avoid keeping any sensitive or personal information on the computer hosting your exit relay, and you never should use that machine for any illegal purpose. [0]

[0] - https://2019.www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html.en

> Should I run an exit relay from my home?

A bridge is different than running an exit relay. A Bridge allows someone who's ISP blocks access to the TOR network to bypass that by connecting to your bridge.[0] Bridge relays are Tor relays that are not listed in the public Tor directory.

That means that ISPs or governments trying to block access to the Tor network can’t simply block all bridges. Bridges are useful for Tor users under oppressive regimes, and for people who want an extra layer of security because they’re worried somebody will recognize that they are contacting a public Tor relay IP address.

A bridge is just a normal relay with a slightly different configuration.[1]

[0] - https://www.miskatonic.org/2024/04/07/how-i-set-up-a-tor-bri... [1] - https://support.torproject.org/censorship/

That's a different thing, parent didn't say anything about running an exit.

https://community.torproject.org/relay/types-of-relays/

Tor bridges are more bandwidth intensive than CPU intensive, but thanks for the thought.

Compute - @home projects.

Bandwidth - Tor node

Storage - https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_storage_cloud

Doesn't look like you can contribute with storage to Citizen Archivist? Only helping with tagging and transcription.

You might consider mirroring the (legal) BitTorrent releases of your favorite Linux ISOs or something to that effect. I personally mirror several OCRemix BitTorrent releases [0] including the big 4K archive.

[0]: https://bt.ocremix.org/

I run fishnet[0] to help Lichess[1] analyze chess games.

[0]: https://github.com/lichess-org/fishnet [1]: https://lichess.org/

Any project that is availabke on BOINC could be a good idea

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